You may ask yourself if Windows 8 is ready for businesses… or, are businesses ready for Windows 8? I would challenge you that if you aren’t considering Windows 8, you are doing a disservice to your organization. Windows 8 and the touch-first experience along with the full capabilities of the desktop bring together a consolidated story for your end-users and your information technology organization.

For this post, I want to focus on SAP and how this organization is embracing Windows 8 in a big way (both publicly for their customers and internally with their employees).

If your business runs on SAP, I want to focus on 3 perspectives that may be of interest to you:

SAP’s Windows 8 Applications

There are currently six (6) SAP touch-optimized applications that are available from the Windows Store. All of the applications are FREE and available for immediate download to a Windows 8 Professional (x86) device. (note: these should eventually be available for Windows RT devices as well).

Validation required, but it is believed SAP 4.6c is required to support the Windows 8 Apps. Specifically from SAP “Note: To use SAP WorkDeck with your business data, you must be a user of SAP ERP, with mobile services enabled by your IT department. You can try out the app first using sample data.”

If you want to test these apps, you are able to download the applications and use them with sample data that is made available.

SAP Customer Financial Fact Sheet

With the SAP Customer Financial Fact Sheet mobile app for Windows tablets, you can stay up to date on the orders and financial status of your customers anywhere and anytime. This app allows sales reps and account executives to display all of the relevant financial data of a customer, with the option to drill down to the level of a single invoice or sales order.

SAP Manager Insight

With the SAP Manager Insight mobile app for Windows tablets, you can access mobile reports and employee profiles anywhere and anytime. This app accesses the SAP ERP application and supports HR business partners, HR specialists, and managers in preparing and holding meetings with line managers and employees and in making quick and meaningful decisions.

SAP Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Policy Survey

With the SAP GRC Policy Survey mobile app for Windows, you can manage enterprise compliance assignments anywhere and anytime. This app connects to the SAP Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) solutions and allows employees to receive, complete, and submit GRC policy surveys, quizzes, and acknowledgements right from their Windows tablet device.

SAP Interview Assistant

With the SAP Interview Assistant mobile app for Windows tablets, you can prepare for and conduct interviews anywhere and anytime. This app accesses the SAP ERP application and allows managers to review candidate information, prepare notes, record interview results, and send detailed feedback to the HR department right from their Windows tablet device.

SAP Learning Assistant

With the SAP Learning Assistant mobile app for Windows tablets, you can book and take training courses available within your company anywhere and anytime. This app accesses SAP Learning Solution and allows employees to search for courses in the catalog, book courses, and run the e-learning sessions online or offline directly on their Windows tablet device.

SAP WorkDeck

With the SAP WorkDeck mobile app for Windows tablets, you can access your work scenarios and manage your tasks using a single application anywhere and anytime. This app accesses the SAP ERP application and allows you to handle your enterprise life, including workflow, travel, and leave requests, right from your Windows tablet device.

SAP EMR Unwired

With the SAP EMR Unwired mobile app for Windows tablets, physicians and nurses have easy, secure access to patient data right at the point of care. The app connects to clinical back-end systems, including hospital information and imaging systems (PACS), and displays the patient’s data on the Windows tablet in a clear and easy-to-read format.

SAP Sales Pipeline Simulator

You can use the SAP Sales Pipeline Simulator mobile app for Windows tablets to check your sales pipeline anywhere and at anytime. This app accesses the SAP CRM application and allows sales reps to not only check their pipeline, but also to simulate changes to their pipeline and check how these changes affect their sales targets, right from their Windows tablet.

SAP GUI on Windows 8

Windows 8 Professional provides a great opportunity for organizations to truly evaluate employee workstyles. If your business runs on SAP, Windows 8 should be considered for your organization. Not only are you able to use the new touch-optimized applications (as referenced above), but with Windows 8 Professional you get to experience the full desktop.

With the full desktop, you can run any Windows 7 application on Windows 8… including the SAP GUI.

Equipping employees with Microsoft Surface Pro

First reported by The Times of India, SAP confirmed its plans to buy Surface Pro tablets for all employees instead of laptops.

In fact, German business software giant SAP already confirmed its plans to buy Surface Pro tablets for all employees. Speaking to the Times of India, SAP said that Apple’s wildly successful iPad is not the one that will take the place of laptops in the corporate sectors. Surface Pro, on the other hand, will.